Epidemiological and Subtype Characterization of Influenza Viruses Infection in Children in Shenzhen, China during Three Consecutive Seasons (January 2016-December 2018)

Background: Children with seasonal influenza infection cause a significant burden of disease each year in the pediatric clinic. Influenza A and B viruses are the major types responsible for illness. A better understanding of the periodicity facilitates the prevention and control of influenza in children. Objective: This study aims to analyze the epidemiological patterns and subtype characterization of influenza viruses among children in Shenzhen, China. Methods: Influenza samples were collected by nasopharyngeal swabs from influenza like illness patients in Shenzhen Children’s Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018. The positive cases and influenza subtypes were determined by gold labeled antigen detection and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The influenza periodicity and age, subtype distribution as well as the association between climate parameters and different influenza subtypes were analyzed by SPSS 22.0. Results: The influenza positive rate during 2016-2018 was 21.0%, with a highest positive rate in the year 2018. The positive rate varied by month, season, and year describing a sequence of peaks presenting primarily in all year including spring, summer and winter. The characteristics of influenza peak were different in each year, with a spring peak in 2016 and a summer plus a winter-spring peaks in 2017 and 2018. In addition, influenza B exhibited a winter-spring seasonal pattern while influenza A displayed a more variable seasonality, highlighting influenza B rather than influenza A which had a negative association with climate parameters. Influenza-positive cases were older than influenza-negative cases (P P Conclusion: Influenza activity in children from Shenzhen typically displays both winter-spring and summer peaks. Influenza A epidemic occurred separately or co-circulated with influenza B, with a winter-spring pattern for influenza B and a much more variable seasonality for influenza A. Influenza B had a negative association with climate parameters. In addition, hospitalization with influenza often occurs in younger individuals infected with influenza A.

C-dots assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles as labels to catalyze copper deposition for ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing of proteins

We report an ultrasensitive protocol for electrochemical sensing using the hydroxyl-rich C-dots assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles(C-dots@AuNP) as labels with copper depositon reaction. The C-dots catalyzing copper deposition reaction was implemented for the first time. We constructed a sandwich-type immunosensor on the chitosan modified glassy carbon electrode(GCE) by glutaraldehyde(GA) crosslinking, with C-dots@AuNP as biolabels. Copper was deposited on the catalytic surfaces of second antibody-conjugated C-dots@AuNP nanoparticles through CuSO_4-ascorbic acid reduction, because both C-dots and AuNPs could strongly catalyze the CuSO_4 and ascorbic acid to form Cu particles, which amplified the detection signal. Then the corresponding antigen was quantified based on simultaneous chemical-dissolution/cathodic-preconcentration of copper for insitu analysis using anodic stripping square wave voltammetry(ASSWV) directly on the modified electrode. Under optimized conditions, these electrodes were employed for sandwich-type immunoanaly sis, pushing the lower limits of detection(LODs)down to the fg mL^(-1) level for human immunoglobulin G(IgG) and cardiac troponin I(cTnI), a cardiac biomarker. These novel sensors have good stability and acceptable accuracy and reproducibility, suggesting potential applications in clinical diagnostics.